Rakan Saaideh elected JPA president

AMMAN — Rakan Saaideh on Friday clinched the Jordan Press Association (JPA) elections, beating two other contestants.

The elections, which witnessed five female contestants, including the first woman to run for president, saw the victory of all-male board members.

Last week, the elections were postponed due to failure to meet quorum in accordance with the JPA Law. 

The elections were postponed until Friday and took place at a polling station at Sports City.

The elections witnessed a high turnout with 947 journalists casting their ballots to elect their president.

Saaideh collected 321 votes, while his deputy Jamal Shtiwei received 403 votes.

Saaideh pledged to work “in a team spirit for the interest of all” in a Facebook post following the win. 

The newly elected JPA president also pledged to “work day and night to safeguard the rights and needs of journalists”.

Meanwhile, the first woman to run for JPA president, Falha Bariasat, thanked the 277 people who voted in her favour on her Facebook page.

“I would like to thank the colleagues who voted for me and others who are not from the media sector but supported me. This is a reassurance that we will continue on the path of change,” Bariasat wrote on her Facebook page.